Fundraising Appeal Launched for New Deer Sculpture at Knutsford Gateway
A community campaign hopes to restore a well-known landmark at one of Knutsford's main entrances following the removal of the original sculpture.
By Knutsford Guardian
A fundraising campaign has been launched to create a new deer sculpture for Canute Place roundabout, one of the main gateways into Knutsford.
Knutsford Town Council hopes to commission local chainsaw wood sculptor Andy Burgess to design and create the replacement after residents expressed strong support for a carved wooden sculpture during community consultations.
The new artwork will replace the town's previous deer sculpture, a wire-frame stag known locally as "Elvis", which stood on the roundabout for around a decade before being removed in 2023 after deteriorating beyond repair.
The council believes a new sculpture would provide a distinctive welcome for visitors arriving in Knutsford while reflecting the town's character and its links with the surrounding Cheshire countryside.
Andy Burgess, who lives in Knutsford, said it would be a privilege to create the sculpture for his hometown. As a self-taught wood sculptor, he has built a reputation for transforming fallen, diseased and storm-damaged trees into detailed carvings of wildlife and other figures.
His work has become well known across the region, most recently with the unveiling of a life-sized stag sculpture at the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park. The proposed design for Canute Place would continue the deer theme, which has become closely associated with Knutsford and nearby Tatton Park, where herds of red and fallow deer have lived for centuries.
The council has set a fundraising target of £5,000 to cover the cost of designing, carving and installing the new sculpture. Residents, businesses and visitors are being invited to support the project through a public crowdfunding campaign.
If the funding target is reached, the new sculpture will become a permanent feature on the Canute Place roundabout, restoring a familiar landmark that greeted motorists entering the town for many years.